Dynamics of radionuclide concentrations in calcified tissues of reindeer in the western Russian Arctic.

The specific activities of artificial and natural nuclides were determined in bone and teeth of reindeer that had lived before, during, and after nuclear tests on the Archipelago Novaya Zemlya and of reindeer from the nearby mainland region. In bone of reindeer from Novaya Zemlya, 90Sr and 210Pb are the main source of beta-activity, the 210Po is the main source of the alpha activity. In bone of reindeer that lived on Novaya Zemlya during underground tests, the 90Sr activity was relatively high (0.75 +/- 0.20 Bq/g dry weight). In animals that lived after the tests were banned, the level was significantly lower (0.44 +/- 0.17 Bq/g) and did not differ from the level of the 90Sr activity found in the mainland reindeer bone. On Novaya Zemlya, the concentrations of the natural 210Pb in bone of the recent reindeer (0.57 +/- 0.19 Bq/g) is similar to that which was in the teeth of reindeer a hundred years ago (0.65-0.75 Bq/g) and significantly higher than in the recent mainland reindeer from different regions (0.18-0.17 Bq/g).

Relationships between ESR-evaluated doses estimated from enamel and activity of radionuclides in bone and teeth of reindeer.

Doses of radiation estimated from ESR analysis of tooth enamel were compared with activities of alpha- and beta-emitters in enamel and in bone tissue of mandibles of 77 reindeer from populations with different levels of radiation contamination. Contribution of the radionuclides incorporated into bone (or bone-seeking radionuclides in food) to ESR-evaluated doses was substantial and the contribution of the radionuclides incorporated into enamel itself proved to be relatively small.

[The dynamics of the radiation load on reindeer on Novaya Zemlya]. / Dinamika radiatsionnoi nagruzki na severnykh olenei Novoi Zemli.

The ESR analysis was carried out aiming at studying the activity of radionuclides in the dental enamel, dentin, and mandible bone tissues of reindeer of Novaya Zemlya. Doses of absorbed ionizing radiation were assessed. It was determined that the doses obtained by reindeer during underground nuclear tests were ten times higher and the activity of 90Sr was greater than those for reindeer living after the nuclear tests were suspended. Relatively high values of doses were observed for reindeer living before the nuclear weapons were invented. This fact is accounted for by an elevated level of natural radiation in the region.